Highlights

• Borderlands series offers unique, set character classes, perfect for fans seeking nostalgia or a trip down memory lane.
• Memorable characters like Brick, Lilith, Mordecai, and Roland offer varied gameplay styles and backstories in the series.
• From Vault Hunters like Salvador, Maya, and Zer0 to Athena and Wilhelm, each character brings their own unique abilities and stories to the Borderlands universe.

Borderlands is a game series that began in 2009 with a game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Since then, it's evolved into four mainline games, a real-time strategy game, a telltale game, many comics, and an upcoming movie! It's undoubtedly impacted gaming culture in the last decade or so in ways that other games just haven't managed.

Borderlands games have classes to play, but not in a conventional way as each class is a set character, not a customizable one. For fans looking to refresh their memories about all the characters from past games, or just activate the nostalgia part of their brains for a time before lockdown, this list will help.

Updated on March 20, 2024 by Marco Vito Oddo: The Borderlands series helped looter-shooters become mainstream, thanks to the combination of addictive gameplay and exciting characters. Spawning multiple games from different genres, the series also gives you the power to control a surprisingly varied cast of Vault Hunters. Each playable character in the Borderlands series is unique, and they all have something that makes them memorable.

22 Brick: The Brawler

Brick was one of the founders of the Crimson Raiders, a group of adventurers and ex-soldiers that became more and more involved as the series progressed. He's a Berserker, and a special mode in-game allows you to attack with his fists in close combat. Supposedly, his parents were relatively small, and his size shocked them; he claims it's due to all the vitamins he takes daily, or the "lucky paw" of a childhood pet that he wears around his neck.

As a playable character, Brick is well-suited for close combat, with skills that amplify his raw physical strength and grant him health regeneration. That means Brick hits hard and takes a lot of damage before dying, making him the perfect character to draw enemies' attention.

21 Lilith: The Firehawk

Lilith has been an important character since the first Borderlands game. When she was first seen in Borderlands, which explains she's one of the only 13 people had ever exhibited supposedly magical abilities. Six of them self-identified as Sirens, and Lilith was a part of this group before adventuring to Pandora.

In the Borderlands universe, all the characters with magic powers such as Lilith are women. No one knows where their powers come from, but according to Lilith she got magical abilities after crossing the "hotness threshold." If you take her words for granted, only extremely attractive women can become Sirens.

20 Mordecai: The Hunter

Mordecai is an expert sniper - at only 17 years old, he won a sharpshooting contest using a revolver. Though he was accused of cheating and the result was eventually thrown out, there was never real evidence to support it. His solitary companion is a bird, Bloodwing, as he hops between planets, gathering as much gold as he can.

Mordecai has trained Bloodwing to fetch items and attack targets on command. These abilities allow Mordecai to keep his distance from his target, as Bloodwing distracts enemies and opens them to the destructive precision shots of its master.

19 Roland: The Soldier

Roland is a soldier, through and through. Before the events of Borderlands, he was a member of the Crimson Lance. They were a private military force working for Atlas (a company that supply weapons to Pandora). Roland was discharged from the Crimson Lance, a punishment that's usually paired with a bullet in the head. No one knows why he was discharged and how he got away with his brains intact.

As a playable character, Roland specializes in assault rifles. He also carries a turret that can serve as a cover, keep enemies pinned down, and even offer support auras to all of Roland's teammates. The soldier reappears in Borderlands 2, and a town in Borderlands 3 is named after him.

18 Axton: The Commando

Axton was a sergeant in the Dahl military, married to his commanding officer, Sarah. Since Axton is constantly seeking glory, his reckless behavior has put other soldiers' lives at risk and caused several missions to fail. His actions led Sarah to discharge him from the army and divorce him at the same time. Sarah didn't have the courage to execute Axton, though, giving him the idea to flee to one of the dangerous planets in their solar system.

Axton was drawn to Pandora to appear in Borderlands 2 by the prospect of fame and fortune. Similar to Roland, Axton uses his military expertise to help other Vault Hunters to take down hordes of enemies.

17 Maya: The Siren

Maya showed the first signs of Siren magical powers when she was a child. After that, she was given to the Order of the Impending Storm, where she trained under the tutelage of monks. As an adult, Maya was presented by the monks as a goddess and savior. Maya quickly realized the monks were using her powers to threaten and extort other people. So, she decided to flee and journey through the galaxy, hoping to learn more about Sirens.

Maya eventually reaches Pandora, where she gets entangled with other Vault Hunters in search of the secrets of the fabled planet. As a Siren, Maya has the ability to put enemies in stasis, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.

16 Salvador: The Gunzerker

Salvador is unique because he was born and raised on Pandora. Determined to turn his body into the ultimate weapon, Salvador took steroids as a child, which eventually halted his growth. That's why Salvador is so short compared to other brute-force characters in the Borderlands series.

Salvador's love of mayhem frequently led him to hunt down local criminals. However, after a Hyperion strike team tried to take over his hometown, he killed most of them and interrogated the only survivor until they told him about the Vault. Now, Salvador uses his unique ability to wield two weapons at the same time to shoot his way to the Vault, hoping to get the fabled treasure hidden on the planet.

15 ZerO: The Assassin

Very little is known about Zer0. They are an assassin for hire who has murdered famous politicians and ordinary people alike for the right pay. To give them an advantage while hunting down his targets, Zer0 prefers to keep their identity an absolute secret. Due to their superhuman dexterity, some Borderlands characters, and fans too, speculate that they may not be human — or, at least, not entirely human. The fact Zer0 only has four digits gives some credibility to this theory.

Zer0 goes to Pandora after learning about the Vault, the ultimate target for a skilled assassin like them. The high-tech suit that Zer0 uses allows them to deploy a holographic copy of themselves, which helps distract enemies and give them the time they need to snipe the life out of them.

14 Gaige: The Mechromancer

Gaige is a Borderlands 2 playable character introduced in a DLC. She is a genius who used her proficiency with machines to build a semi-autonomous robot named Deathtrap in high school. Deathtrap was programmed to protect Gaige at all costs, which led to a terrible accident. That's because, when Gaige was bullied, Deathtrap slaughtered the aggressor on site.

Gaige's father helped her escape the authorities. With nowhere to go, she decided to explore Pandora and learn the truth about the Vault. In addition to Deathtrap, Gaige's second distinctive feature is her mechanical arm. The arm was designed by Gaige herself, who severed her own flesh to install her metallic upgrade.

13 Krieg: The Pyscho

Krieg was the second playable character added to Borderlands 2 through DLC. In the Borderlands universe, Psychos are people who were kidnapped by Dr. Benedict and experimented on so that their minds would fracture and they would become unstoppable killing machines. Krieg is one of these Psychos.

However, to endure the torture he underwent at the hands of Dr. Benedict, Krieg developed two separate personas. Krieg's sane side works as an inner voice, always trying to control the murderous impulses of his Psycho side.

Before joining the Vault Hunters, Krieg kills Dr. Benedict to prevent him from experimenting on children. While Krieg does help the other Vault Hunters, he's constantly wondering if they are genuinely his allies or if they are using him for his combat prowess.

12 Athena: The Renegade

The Atlas Corporation has a habit of training young girls to become ruthless assassins for the Crimson League. Athena was one of these unfortunate children. Not much is known about her past, but at some point, Athena managed to escape the grasp of Atlas Corporation and go to Pandora before the Crimson Lance snatched her.

Athena's unique fighting style is due to the shield she carries on her left arm. The shield can temporarily absorb frontal damage, giving Athena a few moments of respite during intense battles.

11 Wilhelm: The Enforcer

Due to a disease contracted in his childhood, Wilhem was forced to replace parts of his body with cybernetic implants. The implants awakened an obsession inside Wilhem's mind, giving him an auto-destructive desire to become a robot. As years went by, Wilhem kept replacing parts of his body with electronic gadgets, turning him into a formidable warrior. Wilhem became a mercenary, using his unique body to take on dangerous missions that paid him well enough to pursue his transformation.

Wilhem is a boss in Borderlands 2 when his body is almost entirely metallic. However, Wilhem is also a playable character in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, which explores the events set before the first game.

10 Nisha: The Lawbringer

Like Wilhelm, Nisha Kadam is a boss from Borderlands 2 who returns as a playable character in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Nisha had an abusive relationship with her mother, who was prone to losing her temper and throwing whatever she had in her hands at her child. To avoid being constantly hit by her mother, Nisha developed quick reflexes. In her adulthood, Nisha used her reflexes to hunt down bandits, a path that eventually led her to Handsome Jack.

In Borderlands 2, Nisha is a romantic partner to Handsome Jack, and one of the enforcers you must kill to take the villains down. In the Pre-Sequel, though, you can use Nisha's particular skill to automatically aim at enemies in front of her and unleash highly destructive projectiles.

9 Claptrap: The..."Rogue" CL4P-TP Unit

Claptrap is a staple of Borderlands. Since his initial appearance in the first Borderlands, Claptrap became a fan-favorite character, which led Gearbox Software to develop entire missions around the robot and eventually even turn him into a playable character for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Claptrap is a general-purpose robot made by Hyperion that is programmed with a particularly happy and cowardly personality. He's been voiced by more than one actor over the years, which has come with its fair share of controversy as the former actor (David Eddings) came out to allege he was assaulted by the Gearbox CEO, and Gearbox later released a DLC that seemed to be making fun of Eddings.

8 Timothy Lawrence/Jack: Not Handsome Jack

After being overwhelmed by his student loans, Timothy Lawrence agreed to undergo invasive surgical procedures to look like Handsome Jack. In Borderlands 2, Timothy is a double for the villain, misdirecting the Vault Hunters.

Timothy was added as a playable character through DLC for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. In the game, he can conjure two digital copies of himself to fight in his place, a fighting style that reflects the role he would take in Handsome Jack's empire.

7 Aurelia: Hammerlock's Evil (?) Sister

Aurelia is a playable character in Borderlands: The Prequel and an antagonist in Borderlands 3. She's the sister of Sir Hammerlock, a friendly NPC with several artificial limbs introduced in Borderlands 2. She reportedly treated her younger brother terribly because she was the heiress to their family's fortune, which explains why Sir Hammerlock eventually became an ally to the ragtag band of Vault Hunters.

Aurelia is also a main character in the Borderlands saga, helping Handsome Jack rise to power before the events of Borderlands 2. As a playable character, Aurelia uses ice attacks as cold as her heart to defeat her enemies.

6 Zane: The Mercenary

Zane is the brother of two minor bandit bosses from other Borderlands games: Baron Flynt and Captain Flynt. He stopped working with them to become a black-ops mercenary, which saved him from a bitter end at the hands of the Vault Hunters. Zane's reputation as a mercenary puts a big target in his back, which is why he decides to lay low in Pandora.

While in Pandora, Zane ends up being recruited to fight the Children of the Vault, a cult encompassing the radicalized population of bandits and psychos. As a playable character, Zane can use up to two active abilities simultaneously. His abilities include a decoy clone, a barrier, and even a shoulder canon, making Zane one of the most versatile Vault Hunters you can choose.

5 Moze: The Gunner

Moze prolific military career allowed her to become the deadly pilot of the mech known as Iron Bear. With Iron Bear by her side, Moze went on multiple life-threatening missions, always coming back unscathed. Moze wanted to leave the military, but she was forced to complete a certain number of missions to take Iron Bear with her.

To keep his most precious asset in the ranks, Moze's superior constantly changed her mission quota, extending her time of service. Moze found an opportunity to escape during a mission during which her entire squad was killed. Faking her own death, Moze departed with Iron Bear. The mech's maintenance costs became too high, which led Moze to become a Vault Hunter looking for treasure in Pandora.

4 FL4K: The Beastmaster

FL4K is a robot that has achieved self-awareness after its self-defined "thirst for murder" took over its original programming. After that, FL4K embarked on a journey of self-discovery through Pandora, realizing he had a special connection with the local wildlife.

FL4K thinks human conventions are strange, often leading to comic interactions with its teammates. FL4K's ability to tame Pandora's beast allows it to summon "pets" into combat, giving the Vault Hunters the upper hand against the enemies they face in Pandora.

3 Amara: The Other Siren

Amara grew up in the slums of her home planet, Partali, where she learned to master her Siren powers to take down bullies and criminals. Amara can conjure six arms of light to beat her enemies into a pulp, a skill that turned her into a hero in Partali.

While Amara's crime-fighting inclinations frequently lead her to help those in need, her primary motivation for kicking villains down is building her fame. The Siren's ambition eventually leads her to Pandora, where she becomes a Vault Hunter.